Staff

The Rev. Dr. Shawnthea Monroe became the senior minister of Plymouth Church staff January 15, 2008. A native of South Dakota, she holds degrees from the University of Minnesota, Yale Divinity School, and Chicago Theological Seminary Dr. Monroe has served on the board of the Louisville Institute, and the Deaconess Foundation. She is a member of the American Academy of Religion and has taught courses in preaching, contemporary culture and theology, and grant writing for non-profit organizations. An accomplished writer, she is the author of Not So Desperate: Fantasy, Fact and Faith on Wisteria Lane (Chalice Press, 2006) and co-author of Living Christianity: A Pastoral Theology for Today (Fortress, 2009). Shawnthea lives in Shaker Heights with her husband Neil Mueller and their three children. Before coming to Plymouth Church, Dr. Monroe served First Congregational Church UCC (Moorhead, MN), Trinitarian Congregational Church (Concord, MA) and Colebrook Congregational Church (Colebrook, CT).

Matthew Bauhof became the Associate Minister at Plymouth Church in August of 2017. At Plymouth he has the privilege of running the Junior and Senior High Youth programs, providing pastoral care for the Plymouth community, helping lead worship and being a part of the life of this vibrant community. He is a native of Michigan, growing up in the suburbs of Detroit with his parents and two sisters. After graduating from Alma College he spent time working at a youth residential home in Chicago, and then he went on to obtain his Masters of Divinity from McCormick Theological Seminary. He then spent a year as an oncology Chaplain at Massachusetts General Hospital. He has been a member of the Presbyterian Church (USA) for his entire life and is ordained within the PC (USA). He lives in Shaker with his wife Mary Pat Brogan. In his spare time Matt enjoys hiking, playing sports, exploring the outdoors with his wife, building things around the house and cooking.

Since joining the staff of Plymouth Church in 1998, James P. Riggs, Minister of Music and the Arts, has created a diverse music program here, bringing children, adults, instrumentalists, handbell ringers, and paid singers together through music of many genres. He oversees ArtsPlymouth in programming for Plymouth and the community, and supports Plymouth’s outreach music programs, including Music Together and the Cleveland Institute of Music. He also developed an intern program, now in its 11th year, to provide student organists with professional experience. Jim holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Sacred Music from Seton Hill College, a Master of Arts in Organ Performance from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and an Associate of Arts degree in Business Management from Harrisburg Area Community College. He is an active member of the American Guild of Organists (AGO) where he has served as Dean of the Cleveland Chapter. Under Jim’s leadership, the chapter has given $3,000 in scholarships and awards, won the bid to host the 2012 NYACOP semi-final round in Cleveland, and hosted the first ever Cleveland Organ Weekend. As Sub-Dean and Dean of the Seton Hill College/Westmoreland County Chapter, Jim started a scholarship fund for organ students at Seton Hill College. To date, $40,000 has been awarded to students. Jim has a journal article published in The American Organist, the official journal of the AGO. In 2011, he was selected as a Fellow to study with noted American composer, Alice Parker. He is a member of the 90-voice Baldwin Wallace Men’s Chorus. In his spare time he and his partner, Scott, enjoy traveling, cooking, gardening, and spending time with their rescue dog, Heidi.

A graduate of the University of Cincinnati, Leslie has served as the DCE for the Bath United Church of Christ for the last two years. Leslie’s husband, Keith Szalay, teaches German at Shaker Heights High School, and they have three young children.